Praeger Organizational Success through Effective Human Resources Management

Not only are performance and human resources management (HRM) bound tightly together, but Sims even goes so far as to say that the way people are managed in coming decades will be the most important determinant of organizational success. He shows how success is determined by a firm's skill in attracting, developing, and retaining its human capital; how a firm's people are what give it a measurable advantage over the competition; and how an organization's commitment to developing its people's abilities and skills is an obligation at all levels. Sims focuses on practical, real-world human resources problems and activities emphasize the need for managers to prove themselves excellent people managers as well, and covers the traditional HRM tasks and responsibilities in ways that will give them new meaning and urgency. By focusing on current challenges, emerging issues, and HRM innovations now on the horizon, Sims' book is essential for managers and executives throughout the organization, and indeed throughout all sectors of the economy. Sims provides a firsthand understanding of the importance of HRM and lays out the tools to help managers do it well. He emphasizes repeatedly how important it is for organizations to understand that their success depends on their ability to attract and keep talented employees. With its persuasive discussion of the trends and emerging issues in the development of proactive human resources policies and practices, the book shows how to anticipate and work towards the development and retention of the right people. It emphasizes the importance of taking a strategic approach to all of the various human resources activities, and proves throughout that for an organization to prosper and earn a profit, goals must be set and initiatives taken in all areas of HRM and by all people, whatever their levels of responsibility may be. Review ?Sims (College of William and Mary) provides a no-frills, academic overview of human resource management, covering classic human resource topics such as organizational strategy, legal environment, job analysis, recruiting and selection, performance appraisals, career development, and labor relations. Each chapter discusses common principles, laws, or court cases--information that can be found in popular undergraduate human resource management textbooks such as Robert Mathis and John H. Jackson (10th ed., 2002), David DeCenzo and Stephen Robbins (7th ed., 2002), and R. Wayne Mondy, Robert Noe, and Shane Premeaux (8th ed., 2002). The main difference between Sims's book and the undergraduate texts is that it includes no corporate examples, glossaries, or pictures. Instead, Sims uses numerous refereed-journal references and court cases to discuss major human resource issues in detail. The human resource development chapter is characteristic of the rest of the book. Sims provides descriptions of various training methods and shows their advantages and disadvantages in a strategic management context. The strategic management context links an organization's mission, objectives, vision, and long- and short-term objectives to human resource activities. This context helps make this book suitable for graduate students and human resource practitioners.?-CHOICE "Sims (College of William and Mary) provides a no-frills, academic overview of human resource management, covering classic human resource topics such as organizational strategy, legal environment, job analysis, recruiting and selection, performance appraisals, career development, and labor relations. Each chapter discusses common principles, laws, or court cases--information that can be found in popular undergraduate human resource management textbooks such as Robert Mathis and John H. Jackson (10th ed., 2002), David DeCenzo and Stephen Robbins (7th ed., 2002), and R. Wayne Mondy, Robert Noe, and Shane Premeaux (8th ed., 2002). The main difference between Sims's book and the undergraduate texts